Please Read Before You Commit To The Ireland Pilgrimage

Financial Details
  • Total price for those registering before Imbolc (Feb 2, 2023) is $2,800. (Is this a deal, or what?! )
  • If spots remain, prices go up to $2,975 after Feb 2, 2023.
  • Initial NON-REFUNDABLE deposit of $350 is required for registration. We require this because we need to secure our accommodations, travel and event tickets in advance. Once you have paid, this amount is NOT refundable. Make sure everything is lined up for you to go before you commit.
  • If you pay more initially, or if you make payments after your initial deposit - the amount you have paid - MINUS the $350 - CAN be refunded up to our final deadline of July 28, 2023. Should something happen that prohibits your travel with us, you're covered to this degree.
  • After July 28, 2023, NO money is refundable. By that time, we will have paid in full for your spot, and will not be able to recoup that from our vendors in Ireland.
  • After you have made your $350 deposit, you can arrange a personal payment plan, allowing you to pay in smaller increments, or larger sums - up to July 28, 2023. This will be arranged via email in response to the initial deposit and registration.
  • PAYMENT IN FULL is expected by July 28, 2023.
  • Your payment includes
  1. All accommodations at hotels along the journey. All participants will be in double rooms. Couples who register together will be lodged together. Individuals will be coordinated to share rooms in the most agreeable arrangements possible, with input of the participants.
  2. All travel within the official start and finish of the ZG Pilgrimage (Comfortable van and ferry)
  3. Several meals (see itinerary below for details)
  4. All site/event tickets
  5. The expert, informative, and entertaining guidance and storytelling of the charismatic Carl McColman. (Hard to put a price on that!)
  • Your payment DOES NOT include
  1. Your travel to and from Ireland. Many people will want to come early or stay after, and we will be traveling from diverse places - so your flights will be yours to arrange and pay for.
  2. Some meals (see itinerary below for details)
  3. Any expenses beyond the official program (late night pub session? lunch on your own while shopping etc)
Itinerary Details
  1. Plan to be at Trinity House Hotel by 4:00 pm, Wed, Sept 20. (It should take ~30-45 minutes from the Dublin airport, depending on traffic, and whether you're in a car or bus.) Our event begins formally at 6:00 pm that night with storytelling and music.
  2. While in Dublin, we will spend time in the city to see Trinity Library and the Book of Kells, The National Post Office (critical site in the history of Irish independence), and the National Museum. (These tickets are all included in your price.)
  3. The next day, we will take a field trip to Newgrange and The Hill of Tara. (These tickets are all included in your price.)
  4. Meals in Dublin are not covered in our price.
  1. On our way, we'll visit the expansive grounds of the Glendalough Monastery, learning the background of the area and the importance of the Christian monastic communities in Irish culture and history.
  2. Dinner is at the hotel, and is included in our price
  1. Driving from Glendalough to Cashel, we'll visit St Brigid's Cathedral and Tower. We may have an opportunity for Christian church service this morning, for those who are interested.
  2. Dinner & Breakfast are at the hotel, and are included in our price.
  3. Driving from Cashel to Galway, we'll visit the Rock of Cashel castle and cathedral, one of Ireland's most historic and evocative sights.
  4. We will lunch along the way (not included in our price), probably in Ennis, and then visit Clanmacnoise Abbey.
  1. We'll arrive and have dinner (not included in our price) at a local pub/restaurant in the evening. (Lots to choose from in Galway!)
  2. Tuesday will be an optional trip to Inishmore in the Aran Islands, where we’ll tour the island via minibus with a guide, and experience the dramatic Dun Aengus Fort on the cliffs.  We will have a group dinner that night, and a ritual closure and farewell.
  3. Checking out of the hotel Wednesday, you will have the choice to:
    1. Continue your Ireland journey on your own from Galway
    2. Fly home out of nearby Shannon airport (~ 1 hour by car, 2 hours by bus)
    3. Return to Dublin with the ZG crew (option is included in your price), and catch a flight or carry on from there. Keep in mind, we will need to time to get ready to depart in the morning, and it will take ~2 hours and 20 minutes to get into Dublin (and a little more to the airport). Also, keep in mind, you'll need to check in 2 hours before departure for an international flight. So, please don't book flights departing before 2:00 pm out of Dublin, if you need the ZG crew to get you to the airport in Dublin.
Travel Details
  • We will be traveling by van between cities. Please note that roads in Ireland do not look like American freeways - we will encounter narrow, and sometimes elevated, winding roads.
  • We will travel by ferry to Inishmore. (This excursion will be optional. For those who go, the ticket is included in your price.)
  • Those with motion sickness will want to be prepared for this type of travel.
  • ZG strongly recommends grabbing a copy of Rick Steves's travel guide "Ireland". This will be helpful for understanding options to and from airports, travel tips, and planning any additional travel in the country.
Religious & Social Details
  • Our tour guide, Carl McColman is an expert in Christian, Pagan, and Celtic history, and will beguile us with information and inspiration from the complex history of Irish spirituality.  We will visit Catholic sites, and also Pagan sites. If you might find yourself offended by either, please consider whether this pilgrimage will be comfortable for you.
  • We consider community building as part of the pilgrimage. It is our hope that you will make new friends, or enjoy this adventure with dear ones. It is our expectation that everyone will welcome room assignments, vehicle choices, and wherever you end up at a table as a new chance to get to know a fellow pilgrim. We will work to create contemplative and alone time into each day, but please know there will be lots of social activity as well.
  • We will begin each morning with optional time for meditation/centering prayer together.
  • Some people will be drinking alcohol sometimes. (This IS Ireland!) Please consider whether you are comfortable with this.